N95 million payment: Rivers PDP campaign Council says Atiku “not covered”

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State Chapter has cleared the air on misconception that N95million paid by the Rivers State campaign council of the party to get approval to use public places, especially school premises, covers the Presidential Campaign Council and its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abukakar.

Making the clarification in Port Harcourt during a chat with Africa Update, the Director of the publicity and Communication Directorate, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, said the state PDP led by Governor Nyesom Wike reportedly paid the money to cover all campaigns for its Governorship, National and State Assembly candidates in line with the provisions of the Executive Order 21.

Recall that the Order requires that any party intending to use public schools for campaign must apply to the Commissioner for Education and pay a non-refundable fee of N5m, which will be used to clean, maintain and repair the schools after the campaigns.

It was learnt that Atiku’s men intending to campaign for their candidate in public schools  under the auspices the PDP presidential campaign council as well as other political parties like the All Progressives Congress (APC) were expected to meet the requirements of Order 21.

Nwuke advised other parties to toe a similar path arguing that if the party controlled by the governor could pay the money, others had no excuses to flout the order.

He said no party desiring to use a public facility for rallies including those campaigning for Atiku under the auspices of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council was above the law of the state and must comply with the order.